Footwear

ABSTRACT

An article of footwear is disclosed. The article of footwear includes an insole made of polyurethane with a thickness of at least 8 mm at its thickest point, the insole comprising an arch support designed to distribute the pressure of a foot; an outsole made of leather with an edge-to-edge rubber that is inlaid into a forepart of the outsole, and a midsole sandwiched between the insole and the outsole.

FIELD

This relates generally to footwear, and more particularly, to shoes designed to provide improved comfortableness.

BACKGROUND

Many shoes, especially women's shoes, are uncomfortable due to their designs and/or materials. Some shoes can even cause bunions or other medical conditions to their wearers.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates to articles of footwear (i.e., shoes) with specific designs and/or materials that improve their overall comfortableness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a women's shoe, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the exemplary construction of bottom layers of the shoe of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate another exemplary women's shoe, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate yet another exemplary women's shoe, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description of preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which it is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments, which can be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this disclosure.

The present disclosure is generally directed to footwear, in particular, women's dress shoes. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary shoe according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As illustrated, the shoe 100 is designed with a wider than usual toe box 102 to provide ample room to accommodate wearers with mild to moderate bunions or wide feet. In one example, the toe box 102 is approximately 10% wider than conventional women's dress shoes and prevents cramming of the toes and alleviates pressure on the bunions. For example, for a US size 8, toe box 102 is measured at 90 mm. Conventional women's dress shoes of US size 7.5-8.5 have an average toe box measurement of 82 mm (this is based on a sample of 14 different women's dress shoe brands).

Additionally or alternatively, the construction of the shoe of FIG. 1 is markedly different than those on the market in that they are made of three distinct layers: an insole 202, midsole 204, and outsole 206, as shown in FIG. 2. The insole 202 can be made of polyurethane. Polyurethane is more expensive, but more durable than ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), a common material used in athletic shoes and casual sandals. Polyurethane also compresses less over time than EVA. In one example, the insole 202 includes at least 18 mm of polyurethane at its thickest point (the thickest point of the insole is at the arch support 210). In the same example, the insole 202 can include at least 3 mm of polyurethane at its thinnest point. In some examples, the polyurethane can be the thickest at the arch support portion of the insole 202. For the edge heel, the thinnest point of the insole can be approximately 5 mm at the forefoot/toe box area and the heel/rear of the insole can be approximately 8 mm thick. For the loafer, the thinnest point of the insole can be approximately 3 mm at the forefoot/toe box area and the heel/rear of the insole can be approximately 8 mm thick. For the point mule, the thinnest point of the insole can be approximately 4 mm and the heel/rear of the insole can be approximately 12 mm thick.

In addition to a substantive insole 202, the arch support 210 that is built into the design of the insole 202 also makes the shoes of the disclosed embodiments unique. The arch support 210 contributes to distributing the pressure of the feet and preventing the arches from collapsing. For those with bunions, the arch support 210 alleviates pressure from the balls of the feet, particularly where the first metatarsophalangeal joint (big toe bone) is, and helps slow the further development of bunions.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the midsole 204 can be made of fiberboard, and the outsole 206 can be made of leather. The combination of a substantive insole 202 (e.g., an insole made of polyurethane with a minimum 8 mm thickness) with the midsole 204 and outsole 206 is distinctive from conventional women's dress shoes that typically have only thin (e.g., no more than 1-2 mm), low-density foam pieces (usually made of latex) glued onto the midsole fiberboard.

Additionally or alternatively, for the base loafer shown in FIG. 1, the heel collar 104 can be padded with a strip of latex foam to provide a better fit (preventing the heel from slipping out while walking) and to prevent rubbing against the heel of the foot.

Additionally or alternatively, the outsoles of the shoes of the disclosed embodiments can be made of polished leather with a unique edge-to-edge rubber 208 that is inlaid into the forepart of the outsole 206. The use of both leather and rubber in the outsoles 206 also improves the comfortableness and slip-resistance of the shoes.

Additionally or alternatively, the shoes of the disclosed embodiments can be made of lambskin leather, which has natural molding properties that make it ideal for those with bunions or wider feet.

It should be understood that although FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary loafer. Some or all of the above-disclosed features can be incorporated into many other types of shoes including but not limited to the point mule of FIGS. 3a and 3b and the edge heel of FIGS. 4a and 4 b.

Although embodiments of this disclosure have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of embodiments of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of footwear comprising: an insole made of polyurethane with a thickness of at least 8 mm at its rear heal portion, the insole comprising an arch support designed to distribute the pressure of a foot, the arch support being the thickest point of the insole; and a midsole sandwiched between the insole and an outsole.
 2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the outsole is made of leather with an edge-to-edge rubber that is inlaid into a forepart of the outsole,
 3. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising a wide toe box.
 4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the article of footwear is of U.S. size 8 and the toe box is approximately 90 mm wide.
 5. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the article of footwear is a loafer and further comprises a heel collar padded with a strip of latex foam.
 6. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the insole is of approximately 3 mm thick at a toe box portion of the insole.
 7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the article of footwear is an edge heel; and where in the insole is of approximately 5 mm thick at a toe box portion of the insole.
 8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the article of footwear is a point mule; and where in the insole is of approximately 4 mm thick at a toe box portion of the insole.
 9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein an exterior of the article of footwear is made of lambskin leather.
 10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the article of footwear comprises one of loafer, edge heel, and point mule. 